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BUCHAREST, Romania  Florina Claudia Tudica was a toddler when Romania's communist dictatorship was deposed after the fall of the Iron Curtain. But after years of democratic reforms, Romania appears to be a turning toward authoritarianism as are some other Eastern European nations.

"In 1989, I was only 1-year-old but I've learned the history about that period," Tudica said in Bucharest's Victoria Square as she protested the attempt by leftist factions to oust President Traian Basescu. "I never thought I would experience something close to that revolt — that I would be going out in the street.

"But they trampled justice; they ignored laws," she exclaimed. "All this is happening so fast."

Europe is watching to see what happens Sunday, when Romanians vote in a national referendum on whether to remove Basescu from office, the latest in a string of power-grabs by factions who critics say have little loyalty to democracy.

The political crisis in Romania could derail years of democratic progress and analysts say that the West must act decisively to arrest backsliding among Eastern European nations such as Hungary and Bulgaria before autocracy makes a comeback.

"There is an extraordinary fragility to the democratic institutions in Romania and in some places in central Europe," said Heather Conley, director of the Europe Program at the Center of Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "Despite coming a very, very long way over the last 20 years, we are seeing a rollback in democracy and rule of law."

For decades Romania and much of Eastern Europe were allies of the Soviet Union, the former communist superpower that was locked in a struggle against Western democracies in the Cold War. In the late 1980s the Soviet Union lost its grip on its Eastern Bloc as countries such as Poland, Romania, East Germany and Hungary declared independence and moved toward democracy.

The conversion was especially memorable in Romania, where communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were put up against a wall after a quick trial and shot by firing squad on Christmas Day 1989.

In the 23 years since, Romania has had to take on endemic corruption, deal with a shattered economy and enshrine a respect for human rights. Today, where empty shelves and shut-off street lamps once marked the capital, designer stores and trendy cafes coexist with mammoth Communist-style architecture. Romania also loosened its markets, introduced free press and elections.

The changes earned Romania membership in the European Union and NATO. But it did not vanquish the tradition of power grabs that goes back here centuries.

Earlier this month leftist Prime Minister Victor Ponta managed the removal of both speakers of parliament and replaced them with allies. Parliament suspended Basescu, 60, and drastically limited the power of the Constitutional Court.

Critics of Basescu, a former ship's captain, say he is not blameless. Ponta accuses him of violating the constitution and using the powerful secret services against his enemies.

The moves have sparked street protests and condemnation from the West. The U.S. Embassy in Bucharest issued a statement decrying "manipulation" and "threats" to democratic institutions. President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, warned Romania that "political strife cannot justify overriding core democratic principles."

The events unfolding in Romania echo events in neighboring Hungary. Earlier this year the Hungarian government implemented a new constitution that limits individual rights, the judiciary and the independence of the central bank. Analysts say more than harsh words from the West are needed to reverse the trend.

"There have to be some very important action-forcing events that get the leaderships' full attention about what is at stake," Conley said.

The economic downturn is not helping matters. Romania has been forced to cut wages and benefits to public workers, and enact layoffs, opening the way for Ponta to argue that free markets and democratic reforms are not working for Romania.

However, some say that the international reaction to the situation is overblown.

Anneli Ute Gabanyi, a political scientist in Berlin specializing in the Balkans, says the wrangling is merely a struggle between a president and parliament and not an attempt to overthrow democracy. After all, voters are being allowed to have their say over whether Basescu should go.

Still, some say the referendum will decide not just his fate but whether the country sticks with democratic values.

"Not all was perfect, but there were so many steps forward in a very short time," said Tudor Ilie, 48, of the progression toward democracy. Now "my problem is not Basescu's dismissal, but what comes after."